As the rest of the world gets accustomed to seeing Kim Jong-un walk with a cane, we might do well to figure out what, if anything, is changing about the way that the broader North Korean state engages with the economic powerhouses that engulf its southern and northern peripheries.
While Kim Jong-un may be ill for now, each day he is not seen increases the possibility that he is being sidelined.
In September, there were two chances for North and South Korea to have high-level meetings, yet they were unable to take advantage of those opportunities.
To address the growing crisis on the Korean peninsula, concerned countries need to use all available means, including engagement of the North.
From the Hack North Korea contest to smuggling in USBs and launching balloons over the DMZ, there have been many ways people have tried to get outside information to the North Korean people.
Proponents of sanctions typically come at the task with a variety of aims, and the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2014 is no exception.
Why has the United States hesitated to impose the same legal measures against North Korea that it has already used with success against other countries for far less egregious violations of U.S. and international law?
As is often the case in dealing with North Korea, the ability to create and sustain connections from these potential signals will be key for actual progress in inter-Korean relations.
Two pieces of Congressional legislation, while still in their nascent stages, have the potential to reshape U.S. policy on North Korea.
Deputy Director Sauvage discusses life in North Korea and the humanitarian challenges the population faces from a lack of food, potable water, electricity, and a collapsed healthcare system. The following is an excerpt of that discussion.